Wondering what's happening during the [article id="1690536"]2012 Olympics in London[/article], aside from [article id="1690410"]table tennis[/article], swimming and volleyball? Well, there happens to be a lot of significant pop culture events during the games, which kick off with a splashy opening ceremony Friday.

Pre-Games

Before the games officially began, the music has been blaring in anticipation. Jay-Z, Rihanna and more kicked off Olympics-related festivities a month ago when they both appeared at BBC Radio 1's Hackney Weekend 2012.

Also, British acts like the Wanted, Dizzee Rascal and Mark Ronson all declared their allegiance to their native U.K. on Thursday (July 26) when they played the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay in Hyde Park.

Opening Day

Friday's opening ceremony will be headed up by Oscar-winner Danny Boyle, who shared in a recent interview with the "Today" show that the affair has been dubbed "Isles of Wonder." It will reportedly include a performance from British national treasure Paul McCartney. The show also might include an appearance from the Queen herself as well as famed Disney characters based in British literature, ranging from Alice in Wonderland to Peter Pan.

In addition to the official opening-day festivities, Duran Duran has been tapped to perform during the BT London Live event taking place at the same time. Snow Patrol, Stereophonics and Paolo Nutini will also play the show.

Other Confirmed Events

There will be a number of free events and shows held during the Olympic festival at Hyde Park, which runs during the entirety of the games. The festivities will be capped by performances from Blur, the Specials and New Order, set to take place the same day as the official closing-day ceremony.

Closing Day

The closing-day ceremony on August 12 is set to rival the opening-day one. The night has been billed as "A Symphony of British Music." According to leaked documents, a number of British pop stars and celebrities are set to take the stage, including One Direction, the Who, Ed Sheeran, Take That, Queen, the Spice Girls, Russell Brand and a number of supermodels including Kate Moss, to name only a handful of the names attached to the ceremony.

Post-Games

Just because all the medals have been handed out by August 12 doesn't mean all of the Olympics fun is over yet. In fact, once that round of games ends, the Paralympics kick off, highlighting the athleticism of those with physical disabilities. They kick off August 29 and run through September 9, when Coldplay will take the stage for the closing ceremony.

Who are you most excited to see perform during the Olympics? Tell us below!